Sanctity of the Mind Corrupted by a Crushed Opal
by dissonant
Summary: Its solitude seemed to engulf everyone's mind like a silent soliloquy in the night. With an ultimate flash, it sung its farewell scream. And then the chaos began...
1. Chapter 1 Part 1: Clestial Sphere

Chapter One: Lost Destination  
Part One: Celestial Sphere of Fire

-Mars Lighthouse Aerie-

Felix stood on the rim of the lighthouse well, his left arm extended over the middle of the deep abyss yawning into eternity. In his fist was a sphere burning with a fiery intensity: not a ruby, nor a mere precious gem- the Mars Star. An ominous wind rushed around him in a chaotic ecstasy of power and the sky lit up with streaks of brilliant lightning—omnipotent rulers of the heavens.

Felix hesitated as he started to loosen his grip on the fiery sphere, contemplating the consequences of his actions. _I… cannot do this. In my hand I have a possible two-edged sword: the power to destroy Weyard and the power to save it and heal the damage. How can this be expected of me? How can I be the one to spread destruction over all? _

Piers walked up to Felix, currently deep in thought, and laid a comforting had on Felix's shoulder, startling him. "Come on, Felix. We… we cannot fail in this. Everyone needs us to do this. _You_ have to do this. If you cause the destruction of Weyard, se be it. You will only be hastening our deaths and relieving the planet of its suffering."

Felix could only nod as he released his death grip upon the gem to watch it fall away- its innate light a beacon in the darkest depths of the lighthouse, a beacon of hope for the depths of sorrow felt by Weyard. As he watched it fall he felt a sense of satisfaction tinged with regret leak into his mind. In what seemed like perpetuity, the ardent sphere fell down into the darkness of the well even further, gleaming exactly like a fiery star in the midst of the night sky. Its solitude seemed to engulf everyone's mind like a silent soliloquy in the night. With an ultimate flash, it sung its farewell scream. And then the chaos began.

Flashes of radiant light shot up from the depths of the tower into the darkening sky, shredding the thunder clouds overhead. A shrill scream emanated viciously and engulfed everybody's thoughts. They all backed away from the precipice as a crimson light welled up from the depths of Mars Lighthouse. An unexpected tremor shook them all and sent the bodies of the recently defeated parents rolling toward the abyss. Mia and Piers lunged to save them, but just as soon as they leaped to aid, the bodies went spilling over the edge like dolls falling into a furnace. Felix and Jenna gasped and Isaac rushed to the well, but all that they saw were their parents being consumed by the immense power surging up to them.

Felix came to his senses and threw everyone backward toward the edge—toward the ship. "Come on! We can't afford to stay another second!"

Jenna struggled against her brother's iron grip as she screamed in despair. "But our parents-"

Yelling loudly over the noise all around him, Felix tried to abate his sister's protests. "There's nothing we can do! We must get off the aerie before the power of this lighthouse kills us!" With that, Jenna gave in and broke free of Felix's grip, rushing toward the ship, beckoning the others.

Felix watched calmly as everyone boarded the ship, waiting to be sure all were safe. Then he suddenly realized something—Isaac was missing. He whirled around and ran up the aerie stairs in the opposite direction. Wind infused with fire battered him all around, and the only thing keeping him alive was his psynergic bond with the energy emitting from the finally risen sphere atop the lighthouse. As he bounded up the last few stairs, he saw Isaac standing there, bewildered. "Isaac! What are you doing!" Eliciting no response from the still figure, Felix hastened to Isaac's side and shook his shoulders violently. "Are you crazy!"

Isaac merely smiled as he looked down into his open palms, unperturbed by Felix's shaking. A mixture of awe and power was infused into his face as a red light brighter than the sphere towering above them shone in his palm. "Look… the star, it is beautiful…"

Felix, worried about Isaac's mental health from being close to this immense power, looked down into Isaac's open palms merely to placate his companion—but what he found was something that took his breath away. Sitting there seemingly content and unassuming was a fiery sphere the size of a fist, flawless and perpetual yet ever-changing. Sitting in Isaac's hands was the Mars Star.

Before Felix even had a chance to comprehend this odd occurrence, Isaac snapped back into reality and grabbed Felix's shoulder while pocketing the Mars star in his tunic. "We have to get out of here!"

Felix screamed back, attempting to be heard over the chaotic gale, "The others are on the ship! They're waiting—ah!"

An unusually strong gust threw the two off of their feet and into the air to be thrown about at the amusement of the gods. Felix looked down and fully comprehended just how powerless he was as a crushing sense of vertigo slammed into his mind. Isaac kept a tight hold of the pocket containing his precious treasure as he tried to keep the bile from rising from his stomach. _Let's hope I believe in miracles—what the!_

Isaac's thought process was brought to a halt as he slammed into the deck of the Lemurian ship. Jenna gasped as Isaac and Felix bounced off the deck, already unconscious, and flew straight through the door into the living quarters. Splinters of wood flew past her as she ran haphazardly over the deck. The deck kept coming out from under her feet, sending her sprawling, but soon Mia came to her aid, picking her up and quickly- but carefully- taking her into the interior of the ship. Jenna's last vision was of Mia's rushing to attend to Felix and Isaac, and soon all she saw was red.

Waves of scintillating death threatened to consume Felix as he struggled against his imminent fate. Starlight reached out to him, soothing his struggling and calling to him throughout the void. But the comfort abated as a putrid smell shattered the perfect utopia of nothing. Felix sat up and coughed violently, blood spraying onto the bleached linen. Wiping the blood off of his face with his sleeve, Felix looked around squinting against the glaring light, trying to take in his surroundings. Kraden was setting a small vial onto the bedside- smelling salts from the look of it.

"You were very lucky you know… that fall should have killed you. But somehow, you survived…" Kraden said.

Felix held a hand to his head to support it, but it slipped off because of all the blood slowly seeping from a deep cut upon his forehead. "Ugh… blood… Kraden? Where is… Isaac and… ugh… the star?"

Kraden furrowed his brow in worry. "What are you talking about, Felix? What star?" And with that statement, the ship lurched and Felix's head was pounded into the wall behind him, sending him spiraling once again into the realm of non-existence.


	2. Chapter 1 Part 2: Emotional Prelude

Chapter One: Lost Destination

Part Two: Emotional Prelude to an Imminent Disaster

─Sky above the Western Sea─

Sheba gazed intensely into the eastern sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of their destination. As much as Ivan and hers' psynergy powered the ship, no speed seemed to be fast enough for the impatient adept. _Did we really need to do this? What if… everyone in Jenna's home is dead? Will we have been the catalyst of the deaths of them? How could I even live with that burden upon my shoulders... ahhh, we're all so young yet we've experienced more than we could possibly have expected. And we've all had to mature so fast- not that my life was ever one for fun and games. All the expectations kept me from ever enjoying life… but when I started out with Felix and Jenna, I- I was truly happy for the first time in my life- content with who I was, no, who I am. Will that all disperse and vanish forever once we get to Vale? Please… please don't leave me to my own fate. Let us all stay together peacefully so I can continue enjoying life…_

Ivan's hands deftly spun the ship's wheel while also wiping the sweat out of his eyes. The storm of winds brought no rain, only a difficult time for Ivan as he battled valiantly against forces that could bring the ship hurtling out of the sky. The gray haze obscured his view and distorted his sense of direction, but he was aided by a sense of strong alchemic force emanating miles ahead─ assumedly Mt. Aleph, where the golden sun would rise and where Alex would receive ultimate power. _Is there even such a thing as that─ ultimate power? It sounds too simple to be true, and somebody should have found it sooner if it is such an easy thing to obtain. All Alex has to do is climb up Mt. Aleph and instantly he'll receive his wondrous gift. But how can such a thing exist? If it is sealed up, then that means someone centuries ago would have had this unrivaled power. If it is so absolute, then why are we here chasing after the one who would obtain it? It… just makes no sense to me, I cannot comprehend such a thing. If this person had it and did not do anything to dispose of this world, then they must have had no intention to. If that is so, then… why did he, or even she, seal it up? Perhaps… perhaps this power can be transferred to another person! If that is so! No, I mustn't think of this concept, it is too enticing and distractive. But, think of the possibilities… maybe finally Jenna will notice me, really notice…_

Inside the ship, Felix was finally up and about after his second bout with unconsciousness. His footsteps echoed eerily down the candlelit hallway, sending shiver down his spine and causing his to fold his arms for warmth. He had left Kraden to himself in the ship's new "library"─ at least that was what Kraden called it. In reality, it was formerly the galley, but with so few people aboard compared to the capacity of the ship, they all usually ate in their separate quarters, the deck, or just wherever they had landed the ship for the night. Lately, Felix had been keeping to himself more often than not, causing the others, at least those who noticed, to worry for him. They had already started to come up with hypotheses of why he seemed to be so withdrawn and restless. They had begun to think that perhaps he has some sort of inner disorder plaguing his psyche. However, they had yet to find out the truth.

With Kraden left behind, the Venus adept went off in search of Isaac and those tending to him. He had started off with this room they labeled as the infirmary, but his trip there was in vain. As he now walked through the flickering light coming from a lamp lit by Mercury psynergy, he heard faint whispers waft into his mind. He stopped in mid-stride and reached to the doorknob on his left, twisting it and walking inside the dimly lit room.

Mia looked up in surprise, almost dropping the blood-soaked rag she held in her hand, but quickly regained her composure. "Felix! You're well enough to walk already, what a welcome relief. Are you hurt, though?"

"No… I'm fine, somehow. But enough of that, where is Jenna? I had assumed she would be here."

Mia went back to wiping the blood off of Isaac's forehead with a far-away yet somehow sympathetic look in her sapphire eyes. "She went to check on you, and then she said she'd go to the deck to aid Ivan and Sheba."

Felix raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "I'll be sure to find her then… but do tell, where are Garet and Piers? Shouldn't they also be lending a hand in the propulsion of the ship? Or do they have more serious matters to discuss amongst themselves?"

Mia slowly and steadily answered, "I haven't the slightest. I guess I wasn't concerned with what the others were doing with my taking care of Isaac's recovery and all." She gasped as the gaping wound on Isaac's forehead split open, seemingly of its own accord. She flung the bloody rag on the wall behind her, grabbed a roll of gauze and special adhesive for such use, and went to work on the cut slowly seeping blood. "Oh, I'm so sorry, but I cannot talk right now, Felix! Isaac seems to be in a critical state and─"

Felix tenderly laid a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, lending what little succor he had to offer. "I wholly understand. Take care of Isaac and please don't let him slip away, we all do not wish to lose him." With that said, he turned and carefully walked out of the room, all the while staring at the bloody rag sliding down the wall and, watching it leave a crimson streak behind, then looked back at Mia's face graced with tears. He shook his head in wonder as he closed the door and softly said to himself, "But then again… I guess you already knew that better than all of us."

As he strode cautiously on the deck, Felix suddenly remembered something he had forgotten to check. On the verge of turning back, he caught himself and continued on to where he was needed. _I wonder if Isaac still has the Mars star, or if that was all an illusion. If it was real, it would be a miracle if it survived that impact with the ship. After all, it is but a fragile gem. Hmm… looks like Ivan is handling things well, and Sheba looks to be off in her own little world, so I'd better not bother her… but I do wonder, where _are_ Garet and Piers?_

Ivan sense footsteps behind him and sent out a small trace of psynergy to determine who it was. Relieved that Felix could help them propel the ship, Ivan called out, "Felix! Don't just stand there, c'mon and help us! The others are all inside and it's hard enough for me to just steer this damn thing, let alone focus my psynergy!"

Felix was shaken from his inner contemplation and nodded at Ivan's sudden outburst. While focusing his psynergy into the ship's core, he walked to the stern and gazed into the distance… what he saw almost caused him to panic. "IVAN! Highly concentrated psynergy beam behind, coming straight at us! The energy from the Mars beacon from the looks of it! I'll keep the ship going; you make a shield or something, fast!"

Ivan cursed under his breath and let his psynergic connection with the ship vanish, replacing his mental effort to the creation of an air shield. However, the wind was so unruly that he could hardly gain control over it. Just as he managed to create a small barrier, the energy reached them.

Abruptly, everything turned a claret hue as the colors of Ivan's shield straining against the powerful force, the Mars energy, and the clouds encompassing it all combined. An unearthly screech filled the air and battered at the sanity of everyone, causing Sheba to lose her concentration and making the ship lurch with the instantaneous loss of power. Felix dropped to his knees, hands covering his ears, and just as he thought his sanity would disintegrate from the awful wailing, it was all over with. They had survived, and slowly regained their sense of reality. Dreamily, Ivan steered the ship back on course with Sheba's contribution to the propulsion regained. In the distance, he saw a tower looming over a barren land. Calling Felix and Sheba over to him, he pointed it out─ but they had noticed the instant they looked ahead.

Felix felt nauseated as he realized the truth of the situation. "That… is where Vale is─ or u-used to be from the looks of it."

The other two were speechless, silently offering sympathies to their devastated friend. However, Felix soon noticed something eerily familiar about that white tower, a feeling he could not deny. "That is─ Sol Sanctum!"


	3. Chapter one Part Three: A Shattered Sage

Chapter One: Lost Destination

Part Three- A Shattered Sage

-Sol Sanctum Tower-

Inside a room in the heart of the tower lay a stone. It shone with a prismatic brilliance, its multitude of colors reflecting off of the black walls in a symphony of light. It appeared to be an opal the size of a fist; yet it was perfectly smooth and a perfect sphere. It sat upon an obsidian pedestal that came up seamlessly from the floor. Leading to the pedestal was a strip of blood-colored stone also seamlessly integrated in the floor. The stone was highly polished and reflected flawlessly the perfect symmetry of the flowing waves of obsidian that were the walls and ceiling. The sight would make even the most renowned architect shudder in awe and amazement at the majestically sweeping waves connecting corner to corner, wall to wall. The ceiling hung like a drape of a thousand tons threatening to come crashing down on any unfortunate enough to be underneath its unrivaled elegance. The sight was impossible to comprehend for the human mind. The reflection continued down the wide strip of ruby and led to two massive wooden doors with ancient arcane symbols of inlaid silver placed upon their breadth. The sheer scale of these doors was almost as mind-numbing as the rest of the incomprehensible room itself. And yet, it was, all of it, captured in freeze-frame perfect symmetry. The crack between the doors seemingly separated the room into two perfect halves, each one just as exquisitely and unnecessarily, as some might claim, extravagant and each half carrying its share of the force created by the symbols on the door. This door opened.

In walked the one who would salvage the power of the stone, the one who had sacrificed so much in life to his ruthless search, the one who had trained so diligently under the strict command of the Mercury Clan's leader- Mia's grandfather, the one whose sapphire hair waved hypnotically with the steady gait of its owner. The man's face bore a stoic mask hiding all emotions that he did not wish to give away to any who might be watching. The traps he had faced so far in this tower- Sol Sanctum- were fatal to any who were foolish enough to come unprepared. Skeletons had scattered the barren halls, headless and macabre piles of humans who had been mercilessly disposed of in an efficient, if highly gruesome, manner. Blood stained the many stairwells, splattered remnants of the past soaked into the virgin marble spreading out like veins, giving the tower an unmistakable presence and causing the man who had recently ascended its corridors to feel it was somehow alive.

The altar now sat complacently in front of the tall man across the room; the stone on top unassuming and yet glowing with an eerie malevolence reflected in his cerulean eyes which betrayed no fear of death or whatever worse fate there would be if he were to fail in his task. Thoughts ran through his mind, exciting him and attempting to cause him to falter and shake in unbound anticipation—thoughts of power and knowledge beyond human comprehension, thoughts of domination and submission, thoughts focused on mastery of the cosmos themselves—but the man threw these distractions violently to the darkest corners of his mind, weary of their weak persuasions. Such thoughts would only weaken one's resolve and bring out brashness and wild abandon to reign over logic and equanimity. With all distractions aside, and at a perfect state of ataraxia, Alex fathomed he had reached his final destination.

"There it is: my child, the Stone of Sages." Blue hair flowing behind him, Alex purposefully strode to the obsidian pedestal. Stopping in front of it, his stoic mask shattered finally and a hungry gleam lit his enigmatic eyes to a frenzy of lust. All the while though, he still remained inwardly calm—and that was all that mattered. "My child, I have come to caress you, to take you into my arms, enfold you in my deepest love… take you into my care. No more shall you be in darkest solitude; no more shall you hunger for a worthy companion for your secrets. I am here."

The gleam in his eyes growing more placid as he gained control over his outward emotions, Alex cupped his hands protectively just above the surface of the stone, focusing his power into it. The image would bring to mind a mother finally finding a lost child after a long period of which the child's presence had not graced its parent—if anyone was watching, that is. A frigid wind stirred in the chamber, languidly soaring to the highest reaches, and stirred Alex's hair and clothes as if he was caught up in the ecstasy unattainable by normal means… he ignored this feeling and the wind, however, and kept focusing his power into the stone to allow it to become familiarly acquainted with his power, with him. Soon, he would have the stone's secrets all to himself.

A voice called out from the left corner opposite that of the door, in the innermost reaches of the room. It did not croon softly, but rather took on a commanding tone that stopped Alex's workings in an instant. "You think _you_ can gain the favor of the stone?"

Alex's concentration was broken, as was his connection with the stone. He decided to deal with this interruption who he thought, by the sound of the voice- and now by the looks of it, as the bearer of the voice stepped out into the light- was an old man. "You shouldn't dress up as a 'wizard' in those pretty white robes, old man. Your wooden stick you intend to pass off as a staff fools no one and it looks like a petty child's toy. The crystal on top has as much luster as soil! No, old man, step down from me this instant and go play the lead in a theatre performance in Xian, as they'd appreciate your foolishness there."

The old man sighed at Alex's impudence, although he knew it was merely a way to boost the young adept's confidence. By the look in his eyes, the old man discerned that Alex was afraid of him, throwing around in his mind the thought of why an old man could possibly be in the tower. However, the man decided he would play along for awhile, but then do what he came to do. "Wizard you say? Hmph, I am no wizard, and in your arrogance you seem to be mixing reality with fairy tales."

Alex chuckled, somewhat amused at the old man's words. _He is trying to 'play along!' Well, _you_ won't be playing for long_. "Ha! You even admit it! But if you'll oh so politely excuse me," he stated mockingly, "I'll be infusing myself with the power of this stone now."

The old man knew he had to be on his guard, for the wordplay was over. "You cannot hope to comprehend the idiocy of your actions you hope to take today."

Alex merely smiled at the remark. "What a pretty little sentiment you have there. You truly believe you know the actions I will take? The future is not the present."

"But you are here to dominate everything, are you not?"

At this, Alex chuckled to himself in amusement, but inwardly he was ready to laugh so hard his stomach hurt. "Haha! Another droll remark from the funny old man! Psh, take over the world, how boring. Only a fool as insipid as you would dream of that!" Narrowing his eyes in mischievousness and rage, Alex said, "I would have you know my intentions are nothing of the sort. So get out of my way now if you do not wish to deal with the consequences."

The old man shook his head in regret. "I am sorry to see you will not give up." As swift as thought itself, a ball of fire was sent hurtling at Alex's head. Just as fast however, Alex's hand was cupping the ball of fire as if it were a mere child's toy.

"Do not try and kill me with your frail mind. How much could you know of how to use psynergy? Even my former mentor did not know as much as I back then. I was, and am, a prodigy." He snuffed out the fire in his hand, just as he soon would to the other's life force. "I will have the Stone."

"The Stone is of the Sages, to them it does belong. To _me_ it does belong."

"And the truth is unveiled… so you are the last of the sages. I did not believe there were any left! But you are so old, how can you possibly stand up to me?"  
"Youth is fleeting and full of mistakes, yet we all wish we could stay young forever. That, however, was not my fate. I cannot even begin to remember when I was half my age, let alone as impetuous as you. Age brings knowledge and maturity, both of which you have but a miniscule speck of dust compared to me."

"How often the elderly hold that thought dear to their hearts. Maturity and age are not coinciding elements like so many believe. I have seen those ten times as old as I was back when I was but a child, their naiveté so astonishingly pathetic even I could reason things out better than them. People are so held up in their morals taught to them by others that they forget to think for themselves. You yourself are telling me to give up as if you rule me merely by being older! So many people subdue to what people tell them just because that other person says they are right!" His voice turned to a desperate tone. "Answer me this!_ Where along the line in life do we falter and lose the will to fight for what we want, what we believe in?"_  
A fell wind whipped about the chamber as a physical manifestation of Alex's anger, his psynergy coming to life like never before. His emotions had always been in check, but he was fed up with those older than him having these superiority complexes. His eyes now burned with a passion of which had never engulfed him before. Years of tucking feelings away in his mind had been undone in an instant and he could not know why. Such a trivial matter never had bothered him before, but little did he know it was the sage's own manipulations infused with psynergy that caused this irrational outburst. The sage's flawless plan, however, had backfired.

A deadly blue aura encompassed the former Mercury Clan member and connected itself to the sage, engulfing him in the azure light as well. The brilliant aura began to pulse as Alex began to prepare himself for the complexity of what he was about to do. The sage, however, merely leaned upon his staff in amusement while his mind was in turmoil as he struggled to figure out what the hell the adept was doing.

Alex prepared to disconnect the bond and send the sage to the place he had avoided for oh so long. "You think that this is all I had planned? You couldn't be farther from the truth, and I can see the confusion in your eyes, in your soul." His voice turned mocking as a cynical smiled was pasted upon his face. "This is so very sad though; I wish we could have gotten to know each other better." As his smile stayed cynical and his voice turned malevolent, the blue light surrounded only the sage, disconnecting itself from Alex and asphyxiating the old man in beautiful death. But despite his struggling, and his shock at seeing the world slip away from his vision, he could still hear Alex's last words. "With those final spoken lies, I now bid you adieu."

Alex watched in a distant pleasure as the old man choked, unable to get any air into his frail lungs as hard as he tried. He could not grasp the power inside of him as his concentration disintegrated into the energy around him and soon he collapsed to his knees, the bones almost shattering from the sudden blow. He was quickly sinking to an inexorable end, his destiny if he chose to call it that. Water filled his lungs, discord saturated his mind, and blood vessels burst inside of him. The blue haired one across the room made a slight gesture with his hand and the sage was flung pitilessly into the wall, a sickening thud and the gruesome sound of snapping bones filling the room. Unbearable agony, this was what the sage's final fate was. _Is this… how it ends? Did they lie when they said _I_ had sufficient power to halt any… who… s-stood in my…_ The body slumped to the floor, a lifeless rag doll bleeding itself dry. The ebony floor near that wall would never be black again—crimson had claimed its own.

Alex shook his head as he spoke to himself. "I could have used him, but that's not a possibility now." He stood affixed to the ground for several minutes, staring at the body, and feeling that something was not quite right as a whisper floated from the corpse and into Alex's mind, its message echoing throughout calmly but with a singular intent.

_You could have avoided failure, but you chose… to fight. Consequence shall unveil itself now and will eventually become the death of you._

As he calmly raised an eyebrow at the message, curious to know its meaning, a thunderous crack emanated from behind him with the sound of a million banshees exploding around him. The room flared with brilliant luminosity, the whole spectrum of hue clashing in a cacophony of light. It then flared a celestial, pure white before vaporizing into nothing, leaving the sound of lingering souls to cry for relief from eternal anguish. Alex spun around on his heels in a blinded daze, coming face to face with the pedestal and the treasure upon it. He struggled to regain his vision, but to no avail. He would just have to be patient… and then, it all came to him. All around him was etched in sharp relief as his vision returned flawlessly and for the first time in his life; he was shocked beyond belief, to the core of his very being. So stunned he could not even process what had happened, he could only stare listlessly at the staggering sight before him. His head was immediately crammed with chaotic thoughts, his mind in a state of complete dissonance—yet one thought did not escape his grasp as he comprehended this chaotic disaster… _The Stone of Sages, shattered, a countless number of infinitesimal shards of inexplicable power stretching on into perpetuity… forever lost._


	4. Chapter 1 Part 4: Calm 'twixt

Chapter One: Lost Destination

Part Four: Calm 'twixt Storm and Discord

─Loho─

Everyone was eager to hasten to Sol Sanctum and confront Alex, but circumstances decreed otherwise, forcing them to land in Loho for the night. Felix wandered the dirt path just outside of the inn, too anxious to sleep and also too wrapped up in thought to sit and eat with the others inside. He knew that they were worried about his mental health and they thought him withdrawn and perhaps depressed, but he knew they were far from the truth. All the events that had transpired had left the Venus adept in turmoil, contemplating his actions and their consequences, the morals he had to give up along the way, the intense physical stress that plagued them all, and most of all the strain of an ever-changing life that allowed none a chance to relax and enjoy the surroundings. The latter affected Felix the most since he was the group's so called 'leader'. He had no say in the matter and was left with all the toughest choices, some of which involved a sacrifice of him just so everyone else could get through the ordeal alive. Through it all, though, his time with Saturos and Menardi had toughened his resolve and enabled him to cope with his life without collapsing into depression. But life still had managed to blunt the sharp corners of his will and cause him much duress.

Felix kept on walking past the gate of town, nodding to the dwarven guards without noticing them, for his consciousness was inside him, buried in deep thought. The night air caressed him with a cool breeze that gently rocked the trees asleep and the scent of earth was pungent. From the unclouded sky, the moon lit his way, surrounded by pinpoints of light illuminating the heavens. The dust that rose from Felix's gentle but sure tread swirled behind him, an ephemeral mark of his passing. Trees glowed with a pallid aura derived from the moon's celestial radiance. All was seemingly at peace.

_How I wish I could melt into this darkness and let it enfold me lovingly so I could sleep peacefully if only for a night. At least I wouldn't be jumping at things that aren't there—the night plays tricks on my eyes so. A collection of secrets, just like me, it is. Just like every one of us that has come this far. I seem to be the only one that jumps to the sanctity and solitude of my own mind though. They all confide in each other—yet how could I ever do that? Jenna looks up to me too much for me to betray her trust in me and the others look to me for steadfast leadership; how could I ever show any weakness? It all seems to wrong, this journey. We're chasing after Alex probably to die at his hands and we don't even know what he plans to do with this newfound power. He cannot be that malevolent, he was Mia's closest friend… then again, people do change drastically: that's what makes us human. Hmm…speaking of Mia, is that her, perhaps?_

Felix scanned the cliff's edge with more scrutiny and rested his eyes once more upon the petite form sitting on the grassy edge. A glint of sapphire caught his eye and instinctively he knew it was her. Calmly strolling over to her, he sat down beside the Mercury adept and let his legs hang over the precipice. "Why aren't you with the others, like usual?"  
She responded without her gaze ever leaving the heavens. "I had to think and to do that I had to get away from the clamor."

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "You too, huh?" The silence lingered in the air for a few minutes before Felix could work up the will to ask her something that had been bugging him since his encounter with her while she was tending to Isaac. "I have a question that's been bugging me, but don't say anything until I'm finished, ok?" He waited for her nod of acquiescence. "When you were taking care of Isaac, you were pushed beyond the verge of crying and you seemed too sad to see him like that. The look in your eyes was almost like a look of… love. Do you have feelings for Isaac, Mia?"

The young healer drew her knees up to her, clasping her legs around them and resting her chin on her knees, her robes rustling with the slightest of movements. The look in her eyes was unreadable. "Do not mistake my injured pride for actual emotion. In all my life, I've never lost anyone I've tried to heal—my psynergy always came through for me. I've always prided myself on my ability and that pride is what fuels me. But this time… it was useless—my psynergy, that is. For some reason it would all dissipate the moment it touched any of Isaac's wounds. It was as if he had a strong Mars force within him counteracting my efforts. For the first time in years I had to rely on my knowledge of mundane medical treatment, and while I'm still undeniably experienced in that field, I could do almost nothing. His blood kept coming despite my hardest efforts, drowning my pride without mercy. I was… afraid of failure. I wasn't afraid of Isaac dying, I was afraid of my pride being injured!" She raised her voice without realizing and held back her tears. "My friend was dying and all I could do was worry about my own useless, selfish arrogance!" She calmed herself down and brought her tone back to a hushed whisper that was amazingly clearly audible. "It brought my whole life, all my morals, everything I've ever believed into perspective—and it wasn't pretty. I won't even begin to describe the truths that surfaced today, the consequences of all my actions and my pride. My grandfather… died because of…" She stopped in mid-sentence and retreated back into her private thoughts.

Felix rested a compassionate hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "You've got yourself all wrong. We all can be selfish, but that's our best quality. Without selfishness, we'd lose the will to live."

"Spare me your sympathies in vain. I'm beyond selfish, even if you don't realize that." Without warning, she was suddenly up and hastening back to Loho, leaving a bewildered and quite confused friend behind.

Felix abruptly recalled one phrase from Mia's small speech: ". It was as if he had a strong Mars force within him counteracting my efforts…" He caught the elusive thought finally, and comprehension came to him: _A strong Mars force… the Mars star?_

─Sol Sanctum─

Alex had overcome his initial shock and slowly but surely reverted to his stoic self. Running his fingers through the shards, he began to speak to himself in an attempt to comprehend what had happened. "All my work for naught, my whole dream shattered like a broken sun. My hopes have been rent open before but never like this. This can't be right; it was my destiny to obtain the Stone! Destiny…? So now I believe in that… no, it is just a poor choice of words. But now, I have failed… dammit!" He slammed his fist down into the midst of the remnants of the stone with such fury his skin was shorn through in an instant and blood spilled out, coloring the shards ruby. As he lifted his hand away and healed it effortlessly with his psynergy, he began to notice an unusual aura about the stones—a golden hue, pulsing faintly but growing stronger with each heartbeat. Even in pieces the Stone retained its power.

Alex stepped back as the golden light coalesced above the pedestal into a radiant sphere burning with passion and power pulsing like a human heart. A subtle hum filled the room with its uncanny harmony, filling Alex with joy and relief. He held his arms to the heaven basking in the luminosity reflected flawlessly in his wide eyes. "This is it! That fool unwittingly aided me. Flow into me, my child—we shall be as one, an entity no one can deny. Let me hold you in my nightshade embrace!"

Alex floated up into the air just as the golden light did. Together they spiraled around the pedestal, moving the air into a frenetic whirlwind. They spiraled so fast that soon nothing could be seen except a whorl of golden blue, the wind whipping about in reckless abandon. Alex was reveling in this solitary moment, savoring the sweet ecstasy of success: a taste he never tired of. The chaos continued on and on as the humming grew to a cacophonous scream, shrill and devastating, that ruptured the west wall of the room with its immense force.

Forthwith, all was still. Alex was hovering in the air, alone, his hair swaying lazily in the breeze coming in from the rupture in the wall. His face was contorted into a countenance of ecstasy, his arms spread wide in triumph and his eyes closed. As he lowered his arms to his side, he twirled down to the ground like a feather, weightless and free, without any limitations. His feet lightly touched the hard surface with no sound at all and slowly opened his eyes in an omniscient manner. He felt ethereal yet invincible and he allowed the energy to flow through him freely, mixing with his blood, infusing itself into his being. As he spoke, his voice was incomprehensibly strong, calm, and under utterly complete control. "We are one, my child… we are one at last." His eyes glowed with a golden hue in a victorious fanfare all to himself.

The sounds of footsteps suddenly called to Alex, and he instinctively turned to face the closed doorway. "So, they are coming at last. Up the stairs they come, trodding in the footsteps of a lost people. Come, my students. Come and I will show you the loving light of the Golden Sun."


End file.
